How to set up and understand Alerts on ExpertFlyer

Overview

ExpertFlyer's four alert types cover the most critical variables of every flight: availability, schedule, seats, and aircraft. Set them once, and ExpertFlyer monitors them, sending a notification the moment something changes.

Use the right alert

To understand how to sequence alerts from booking until boarding, consult our complete flight monitoring playbook.

Flight Alerts

What Flight Alerts do

A Flight Alert, available on Premium and Elite plans, monitors award and fare class availability on a specific flight and sends a notification the moment a seat opens. Use it when you are waiting for award space, upgrade inventory, or a specific fare bucket to become available on a flight you want.

There are three ways to set up Flight Alerts: via Flight Availability, Awards & Upgrades, and via Quick Alert.

How to set up a Flight Alert:

1. Search for your flight using Flight Availability, or Awards & Upgrades.
2. Locate your flight in the results table
3. Click the bell icon in the last column of the results row
4. A pop-up will appear pre-populated with the flight details and class
5. Adjust the fare class or number of seats if needed, then click Save

Flight availability alerts monitor specific fare buckets that you discover while checking flight availability in ExpertFlyer.

Flight alerts are essential when tracking high-demand routes like Qantas Points international business class sweet spots to Sydney or Tokyo.

For American Airlines C-class upgrade alerts, follow our dedicated walkthrough on how to search for AA Systemwide Upgrades.

Schedule Alerts

What Schedule Alerts do

A Schedule Alert tracks changes to a flight's schedule and sends a notification if the departure time, arrival time, equipment, or routing is modified. Available only to Elite, and Premium members.

Use it when you have already booked a flight and want to know right away if anything changes, particularly on long routes where a last-minute time shift or equipment swap can affect connections or cabin layouts.

How to set up a Schedule Alert:

1. Begin creating a Flight Alert
2. Before saving, toggle on Create additional alert types
3. Select Schedule Alert from the options that appear
4. Set your Schedule Change Tolerance. This is the minimum threshold a change must meet to trigger a notification (for example, departure time shifts of 30 minutes or more)
5. Select if you wish to keep it actively notifying until departure.
6. Save the alert

Pair schedule alerts with checking real-time flight status on day of departure to track gate changes, taxi delays, and incoming aircraft.

• 💡 ExpertFlyer users often receive alerts before airlines provide the update via their apps, websites, or customer service.

Seat Alerts

What Seat Alerts do

A Seat Alert watches a specific seat on a specific flight and notifies you when it becomes available. It is available on all plans, including Basic.

Use it when the seat you want is currently occupied or blocked, or when you want to know if a better seat on your flight opens up closer to departure.

How to set up a Seat Alert:

1. Open the Seat Map for your flight via the Seat Map tool or inline from Flight Availability results.
2. Click on the seat you want to monitor. Occupied and blocked seats can both be selected for alert purposes
3. Rename your alert.
4. Click Create Alert to save.

• 💡 Set an alert on an already booked flight. If you get an availability alert for it, chances are you are in an IROPs (Irregular Operations) situation. A first flag that something is going on with your flight.

Aircraft Alerts

What Aircraft Alerts do

An Aircraft Alert notifies you when the aircraft type assigned to a flight changes. It is available to Elite and Premium members.

Airlines occasionally swap equipment, which can mean a different cabin layout or seat configuration. If you booked a specific flight based on the aircraft operating it, an Aircraft Alert provides advance notice of any equipment change before departure.

How to set up an Aircraft Alert:

1. Begin creating a Flight Alert (steps 1–3 above).
2. Before saving, toggle on Create additional alert types.
3. Select Aircraft Alert from the options that appear.
4. Save the alert.

Disruption Alerts

What Disruption Alerts do

Disruption Alert, available to Premium and Elite members, tracks cancellations and major delays on a flight you have booked and suggests rebooking options when something goes wrong.

Use it when you are already ticketed and want a plan B ready before the airline offers one. The notification also includes the cause of the disruption, which you can use for compensation or reclaim purposes.

How to set up a Disruption Alert:

1. Open the Disruption Alert feature under Alerts.
2. Name your alert so you can tell it apart from the others you have active.
3. Enter the departure and arrival airports by segment, not the full trip.
4. Add the departure date, operating airline, flight number, and number of passengers.
5. Set your Disruption Tolerance, the delay length that triggers the alert. You can choose anywhere from 2 to 8 hours.
6. Choose a Rebooking Preference: any airline, same airline, or same alliance (oneworld, SkyTeam, or Star Alliance).
7. Optionally check the test email box to confirm alerts reach you, then click Create.

If your flight is delayed or cancelled, ExpertFlyer will send you an email with potential rebooking options, and the reason for the disruption.

Automated Alerts

What Automated Alerts do

Automated Alerts set up your monitoring for you. You choose which alert types you want once, forward a booking confirmation email to createalerts@expertflyer.com, and we read the itinerary and create the alerts automatically. Available to Elite and Premium members.

Use it when you book often and do not want to re-enter flight details by hand for every trip.

How to set up Automated Alerts:

1. Open Quick Alert in the left navigation menu and click Set Up Now.
2. Choose the alert types you want created automatically: Flight Alert, Schedule Alert, Aircraft Alert, and Disruption Alert.
3. Save your preferences.
4. Forward your booking confirmation email to the ExpertFlyer email address createalerts@expertflyer.com.
5. Within a few minutes, you will receive a confirmation showing which alerts were created.

Quick Alerts

What Quick Alerts do

Quick Alert is an all-in-one tool that creates a Flight Alert, Schedule Alert, and Aircraft Alert simultaneously for a specific flight. It is available to Elite and Premium members.

Method 1: Manual set up

1. Click Quick Alert in the left navigation menu.
2. Enter the airline, flight number, and travel date.
3. Select between the three alert types you want to activate, or all.
4. Click Save. All selected alerts are created at once.

Method 2: Automated alerts

1. Click on Set Up Now.
2. Choose the alerts types (flight alert, schedule alert, and aircraft alert).
3. Save your preferences.
4. Forward your booking confirmation email to the ExpertFlyer email shown on screen.
5. All done. Within a few minutes, we'll send you a confirmation showing which alerts were created.

Have questions or suggestions for this guide? Please reach out to support@expertflyer.com

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